ABC 7 KRCR, 3/26/23. California Gov. Gavin Newsom ended some of the state’s water restrictions on Friday because a winter of relentless rain and snow has replenished the state’s reservoirs and eased fears of a shortage after three years of severe drought.
AccuWeather, 3/26/23. A chilly weather pattern is expected to bring a damaging frost and freeze to portions of California this weekend, ahead of another storm packed with heavy rain, snow and strong winds this week, according to AccuWeather forecasters.
The subfreezing temperatures on both weekend mornings could have agricultural impacts and damage blooming fruit trees and budding vines in areas away from the coast and in interior valleys in central and northern parts of the Golden State.
The Mendocino Voice, 3/26/23. Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) is about eight months into a 30-month planning timeline for the license surrender of the Potter Valley Project, a system of dams and hydroelectric power that has diverted water from the Eel River to the Russian River since 1908 and made a lasting mark on the region’s productivity, environment, and lifeways. But the way forward is uncertain. In 2025, PG&E could decide that one or both of the project’s dams will be removed, the project could continue to run under a new license operator, or one of myriad options in between.
DWR, 3/24/23. The Department of Water Resources (DWR) continues to make releases from Lake Oroville using the main spillway at Oroville Dam. Ongoing releases ensure continued storage space in Lake Oroville for spring runoff from rain and snowmelt and are closely coordinated with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and downstream water operators for flood protection.
ABC 7, 3/24/23. Downtown Los Angeles has seen roughly 12 inches of more rain than in a normal season, but of the 10 driest seasons since 1877, four came within the last decade. That's one reason why Camarillo spent $66 million to save money on water, looking below the surface for a new water source.
Tehachapi News, 3/25/23. Friday afternoon’s announcement that the California Department of Water Resources increased allocations from the State Water Project to 75 percent was not surprising.
With an epic snowpack, spilling reservoirs and devastating floods throughout the state, it was more remarkable that until March 24 the state had made only two increases in what it calls the “Table A” allocation to SWP contractors. From 5 percent in December, the allocation was increased to 30 percent in January and upped to 35 percent in February.
DWR, 3/25/23. With swings between extreme weather patterns becoming more intense, the Department of Water Resources (DWR) is proactively collaborating with local communities and interagency partners to strengthen drought resilience and better prepare for future dry conditions.
PBS, 3/26/23. A class of toxic chemicals known as PFAS has made its way into food, soil, water and even most people’s blood in America. In March, the EPA proposed the first regulatory standard limiting the quantity of PFAS in drinking water. Erin Bell, an environmental epidemiologist at the State University of New York at Albany, joins Ali Rogin to discuss these “forever chemicals” and our exposure to them.
Mercury News, 3/26/23. A planned wetland in far eastern Contra Costa County is not likely to affect the nearby groundwater, a new report concludes – but it remains to be seen if that will sway some neighbors who fear the project could harm their drinking water drawn from wells.
KSEE, 3/25/23. With communities and counties throughout the valley already under several feet of water from unprecedented flooding from rain and snow this winter, officials at the National Weather Service say warming temperatures could make a dangerous situation even worse.
Los Angeles Times, 3/25/23. For the first time in 46 years, the United Nations convened a global conference on water, creating new impetus for wide-ranging efforts to manage water more sustainably, adapt to worsening droughts and floods with climate change, and accelerate solutions for the estimated 2 billion people around the world who live without access to clean drinking water.
The Press Democrat 3/27/23. With tax day just weeks away, fire victims are still waiting on legislation to relieve them of federal taxes on payments they’ve received from the Fire Victim Trust, the fund established out of PG&E’s bankruptcy to compensate for homes, businesses and lives lost to wildfires sparked by the utility.
ABC 10, 3/26/23. California has seen one of its wettest winters in history, leading some experts to declare the drought over. However, headlines like the closing of salmon fishing season in California remind us that even if the drought is over, its effects will linger.
Fresno Bee, 3/25/23. For modern-day residents of the southern San Joaquin Valley, the sight of floodwaters collecting in the former Tulare Lake basin over recent days is a jarring reminder of what happens when more rain falls than dams can contain, soil can absorb or farmers can utilize.
Marin Independent Journal, 3/25/23. Marin Municipal Water District is seeking a $200,000 federal grant to study the possibility of building a brackish water desalination plant on the Petaluma River.
The district’s board voted 4-0 on Tuesday, with Jed Smith abstaining, to retroactively authorize an application to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation for the study. The district submitted the grant application in late February.
The California Water Plan will hold a virtual public workshop over Zoom on March 29, 2023, from 1 - 4 p.m. The Water Plan Team will provide an in-depth overview of draft chapter content for Update 2023. The workshop will serve as a venue interested parties to provide input on the draft content and recommendations.
Join the Department of Water Resources for the first Drought Resilience Interagency & Partners (DRIP) Collaborative meeting. Members of the public will be able to observe the meeting and provide public comments in-person at the meeting location or remotely.
The Tribal Water Summit may be sold out, but you can still learn about California Tribal Water Rights, traditional ecological knowledge, cultural burns, habitat and species restoration, cultural ceremony, basketry, medicine gathering, forest protection, land back, and how Tribes are handling climate resilience - by attending the Tribal Water Summit Film Festival on Wed, April 12, 2023 9am- 4pm at the Secretary of State auditorium, 1500 11th Street, Sacramento, CA. Each film is produced in collaboration with California Tribes and highlights the theme of the Tribal Water Summit which is “The Water that Connects Us”. This event is free and open to all ages
This online short course will review the fundamental principles of groundwater and watershed hydrology, water budgets, water quality, and water law and regulation in an intuitive, highly accessible fashion. Through real world examples, participants learn about the most common tools for measuring, monitoring, and assessing groundwater and surface water resources. We then review the key steps and elements of planning for groundwater sustainability and implementing projects and management actions.
Series: April 13, 20, May 4, 19, and June 1 | 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
This tour ventures through California’s Central Valley, known as the nation’s breadbasket thanks to an imported supply of surface water and local groundwater. The southern part of the vast region, the San Joaquin Valley, is the focus of this tour as it faces challenges after years of drought, dwindling water supplies, decreasing water quality and farmland conversion for urban growth.
This tour explores the heart of California water policy – the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and San Francisco Bay – to learn about the critical role the Delta plays in the state, Delta planning initiatives, water project operations, fish passage, ecosystem restoration, levees and flood management, Delta agriculture and water supply reliability.
Groundwater Resources Association of California - The popular Annual GSA Summit is getting revamped in collaboration with the ACWA Groundwater Committee and SGMA Implementation Subcommittee. This is a once-a-year get-together to foster progress on SGMA implementation, collaborating with ACWA members and implementers and GRA technical experts.
When: June 7 - 8, 2023 Where: Kimpton Sawyer Hotel in Sacramento
DWR is responsible for managing and protecting California’s water resources and works with others to benefit the State’s people and to protect, restore, and enhance the natural and human environments. DWR operates and maintains the State Water Project, oversees dam safety, provides flood protection, helps in emergency response, assists regional and local water agencies, promotes water conservation and safety, and plans integrated watershed management – in all to advance water resource sustainability.
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